Pte 7267270 Harry STRAKER 11th Field Ambulance

Pte 7267270 Harry STRAKER 11th Field Ambulance
Afternoon All

I'm looking for information on my uncle Harry Straker. What I know for sure is that he served in the Medical Corp 11th Field Ambulance as a stretcher bearer and was killed in Italy on 4th October 1943. I have a photo of his grave (before it got the headstone from WGC) which shows he died with the following:
175669 Capt J O D Williams (a check of WGC shows this is Jansen Oswald David WILLIAMS MA MB BCh LRCP MRCS)
7159045 S/Sgt J L (John Luxton) Bolt
7378568 Pte T (Thomas) McHugh
I have been told historically that a bomb hit the tent they were all working in, but have also been told by another relative that a bomb hit the ambulance (sadly everyone who would know for sure has now passed away). Are war diaries availble on line? I know he is buried at the Sangro River War Cemetry and have been lucky enough to visit his grave.
I also have a photo of him in B Convoy 78th 11th Field Ambulance around a blackboard stating ALGIERS TO TUNIS Nov 8th 1942 - May 8th 1943. Any info about this would be interesting.
Once I've figured out how to do it I'll post the photo's I have.
Many Thanks
Gail

 

Gail -
You will find that the 11th Field Ambulance was one of four attached to the 78th Division which landed at Algiers in the November of '42 through to Tunis in the May of '43 then on to Sicily and Italy where they were in action at Termoli and the Sangro where your relative was killed. There should be a diary of their activities at their base or Kew
Cheers

 

Hi Gail and welcome to the forum.

I second what Toms says, Officers tend to get mentions by name in war diaries so if they died together you will almost certainly find out exactly how he died during the war.


Also contact a chap called Starling or Stirling at the RAMC Museum, he maybe able to help.

Regard
Andy

 

Thanks for the quick reply Tom. Just by doing a google search on '78th Division' I've already learnt a lot. Gail

 

Thanks everyone for your help. I think I've managed to create an album (3 photo's not much of an album) in my profile. Can anyone help me with what the mystery object is on the photo of the grave. I can clearly see the men's helmets and cap but there is something else there. My best guess is that it looks like a wine container - could this be right?

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=217&pictureid=1864

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=217&pictureid=1866
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=217&pictureid=1865

 

Thanks for posting the pictures Gail.

Andy

 

Owen

Yes I have been to the cemetry and did take photo's unfortunately my house was flooded in 2007 and needless to say the computer went under and I didn't have a back up disc (lesson learnt). I did however email copies of the photo's to my brother and I have asked him to email me some back so I can post on here.
Gail

 

Look what I have found!!!!!

Account given by Jack Blockley, 11 Field Ambulance
"The next morning (4.10.43 at the River Biferno, near Termoli) we joined the infantry, the Lancashire Fusiliers, and the fighting began.
We were in a barn putting a Thomas splint on a casualty with a broken thigh when we received a direct hit. I was wounded in the back and arm and was tangled up in a despatch rider's motor-bike.
When I got free I looked at Capt. Williams who was sitting on a box behind me. He was dead. I did not see any wounds on him and think maybe the blast killed him outright.
The place was a shambles. One poor fellow was sitting near the entrance, the front of his leg blown off. It was a horrible sight, but he said it didn't hurt.
Shells were falling near the place and I ran across the open ground to join a group that had also left the barn. Fred Sutcliffe bandaged my back and arm and, to my amazement, there was an ambulance which had come right to the front. With a load of casualties it drove back across the bridge and I was on my journey down the line.
I was very impressed by the medical services and the spirit of the wounded in the different stages of the evacuation, most of them in improvised farm buildings. I remember one fellow who had lost his leg saying quite cheerfully that it wouldn't be much of a handicap."
Extract from "Algiers to Italy" by Cyril Ray. Page 89.
"It was later in the same battle that Capt. J.O.D. Williams and four other ranks were killed and nine other ranks wounded when a section of 11 Field Ambulance working with the Lancashire Fusiliers were hit by shell-fire."

I'll be getting my self a copy of the book

 

I found it on the BBC people's war site. It is from the memoires of H A B White entitles "stretcher bearers". There is a wealth of info relating to 11th field ambulance. Bloody fantastic!!!!!

 

Owen/ Gail

The photo of the initial grave of the five - we have three "Tin Topee's" - one Officers service cap - and what looks like the bottom of a Chianti bottle -doubt if anyone would be so irrevernt as to do that - to my mind it's a woollen cap similar to a balaclava which was often worn to keep the ears attached to the head - recalling that this was the Sangro/Termoli battle and it was damned cold and winter was just around the corner - and winters in "Sunny" Italy were something to behold - more like the Yukon in February - you just don't go there at that time - unless you are a skier !
Cheers

 

Gail

Welcome aboard from a proud 78 Div man.

Have you had a browse around here ?
BBC - WW2 People's War - Search Results

Good luck with your research !

Ron

 

Evening Ron
Yes I've had a browse around the people's war site - very good. I have a question perhaps you could help with. I now know that Harry was killed at Termoli and was presumably originally buried there. I've had a look at the map and see that it's quite some distance from the Sangro war cemetry. It's a bit of a goulish question but do you know if bodies that were buried where they fell were reinterred at the war cemetry? I hope this question doesn't cause offensive to anyone.
Gail

 

Gail

Owen has it spot on.

Men were buried at the nearest assembly point and then, as the battle moved on, re-interred at the nearest war cemetery.

Sometimes, in advance of a battle that known to be shortly taking place, graves were dug in advance and I myself witnessed this rather ghoulish practice.

Not very encouraging to see this taking place.

Ron

ps
Just went back to my diaries and found this period when my unit was literally next door to a 78 Div cemetery;

Sunday 22nd. October 1944
Through Firenzolia, roads murder as it had rained all night & was still raining. Had to evict eyeties out of house for Major Mouland. Carried set up mountain to try & contact Batteries. Near Div cemetery.
Monday 23rd. October 1944
Sawing wood greater part of day for the cooks. All the rest of the chaps are working on the road. Billets are clean but crowded. Div cemetery is getting fuller. Sgt.Olsfield is dead.

 

Gail
Many of our dead were buried close to where they fell then after the Battle and we were in reserve we had a burial ceremony at a place called Riccione - that was in October '44 in the Canadian Cemetery close to the Highway - then in 1953 they were re -interred in the official CWGC cemetery at Coriano Ridge - a few miles west of Riccione - there are 2000 graves there from all over that area and there are seven cemetery's between Ancona and Cesena where the Gothic Line battle took place plus a crematorium for the Sikhs troops of 4th and 8th Indian Divisions.

Cheers

 

Gail

Checked the war diary for the date in question. Nothing mentioned about what happened, not a word. I thought maybe not the correct Field Ambulance.